Judge halts construction of new casino in Sioux City

Dec 11, 2013

SIOUX CITY (AP) — A judge has halted construction of a new Sioux City casino until litigation can be resolved between Iowa gaming regulators and the owner of the Argosy riverboat casino.

The Sioux City Journal reports Polk County Judge Robert Hanson granted a motion for a stay Tuesday in favor of Penn National Gaming Co. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission awarded a license in April to Sioux City Entertainment to build the $128.5 million Hard Rock casino. The land-based casino is set to replace the Argosy. Penn claims the commission violated the company’s constitutional protections, as well as state and federal laws in awarding the license to Sioux City Entertainment. They also say the commission ignored deficiencies in the winning bid.